Achieving the team championship in 2024 remains Ferrari's priority, acknowledges team chief Frederic Vasseur, though he concedes that surpassing Max Verstappen for the drivers' title appears unlikely at this point.
Nonetheless, following a triumphant one-two finish led by Carlos Sainz after Verstappen's dramatic brake failure in Melbourne, Vasseur believes that aiming for the constructors' title is still a feasible ambition.
"This is the objective," Vasseur disclosed to Rai, the Italian broadcaster. "But it's also to fight for the drivers' title, even if this year it is perhaps a little early for that. But we'll see."
Even Red Bull's key advisor, Dr Helmut Marko, acknowledges Ferrari's potential threat.
"The great balance of power was confirmed in Australia," he penned in Speed Week. "Ferrari is the clear number 2 behind us, Mercedes is inconsistent, McLaren works better or worse depending on the track."
The enhancement in performance and team morale since Vasseur replaced Mattia Binotto, often referred to as the 'Vasseur effect,' is being lauded by many insiders.
"The new car is easier to drive," Vasseur observed, "it's easier to understand its behaviour, it doesn't give surprises, it wears the tyres less and allows us to attack."
Yet, Vasseur remains cautious.
"The weekends will not all be like Melbourne," he advised. "What I ask from the team is to not make mistakes, to improve one step at a time, and to maintain the same determination."
Following Sainz's win in Melbourne, La Gazzetta dello Sport suggests that Ferrari may expedite certain planned upgrades in anticipation of Suzuka next weekend, although the majority of the new package will likely debut in Imola.
When questioned about significant updates in Japan, Vasseur admitted: "No, it's too early.
"The task now is to understand the car well and get the most out of it, because we haven't achieved that yet."
Former Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel acknowledges Red Bull's current lead but notes that "it seems to be closer" in 2024.
"But I think that Max and Red Bull are still the favourites again in Suzuka," he told Sky Deutschland. "We don't know how Australia really would have turned out, ifs and buts, but that doesn't matter. It was nice for Carlos and Ferrari.
"It would be nice if a little more was happening, but with the dominance that Red Bull and especially Max continue to show, you can't dismiss the sheer performance behind it. That can't be emphasised enough," stated the four-time world champion, who clinched each of those titles with Red Bull.
"So I'll be happy if Max comes back to the top in Japan," Vettel concluded.
